Setting the Foundation

Just around the corner is our School's open house. After a long Summer, many of my new class of 6th graders will peeking into Room 216 for the first time.

Open house night starts with sack lunches prepared by our amazing kitchen staff and a picnic of sorts as people spread out across the playground. It is a great time for family members to get together and tour the school together. It's the first glimpse I have into the home life of my students. I can observe the interactions between the parents and their kids. I can get an idea of how large their families are, where do they fit in with their siblings and how well do they seem to get along. I might see the structure of the house (a two parent household, are there other caregivers involved, etc). The night doesn't give me a complete picture, but gives me enough information to start to understand the kids that I will be spending the next 10 months with.

The evening's positive energy is high. The kids are excited as they make there way around the halls, then into our new room. The teachers have typically spent the last week or so getting their rooms ready for those all important first few days of the new school year. The educational infrastructure has been created and put in place so that the next morning when the first bell rings, our kids can start learning. Kids always want to find their desks and see who is in their collaboration cluster. Many of the kids are anxious, a little nervous, because of the unknown. So am I. A new start can be scary when you're 12 or ....well.

It is interesting to see which kids introduce themselves and those that are introduced by their home partners. Which students are already comfortable in their home away from home. The students already at ease are usually the ones who I've had in science fair,  coached or rooted for on various teams, or just a frequent high-five recipient. Other students move about the edges. Maybe they are trying not to be noticed or are just a little shy this early in the relationship.

Invariably there is one or a few home partners who want to provide me with a breakdown of their student's weaknesses. I politely listen, but to be honest I'm not storing much of the conversation in my long term memory. I will get to know their child's strengths and weaknesses soon enough, and it takes a lot longer than a passing conversation with warm cookies in our hands. (my wife is awesome by the way)

On this occasion, I'm more interested in the home partner. I want to get a sense of what school was like for them, because their attitude and interests have certainly impacted their student's attitude. Does the home partner contribute to an us vs. them attitude with their child? Questions I try and slip into the quick conversation:

• What was your favorite subject? Why? (grades or the learning)
• What books have you read recently? 
• Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
• What do you do for fun? What are your interests? 
• Did your family have the chance to do something fun or exciting this summer.

The questions aren't meant to define, but to gauge how high the home partner's wall is. In other words, do they have a negative predisposition to school? Do they like learning? What expertise can I leverage for our classroom? What kind of support can they or are willing to give to their student? 

I need to capture the natural energy of the event and start to build the relationships that will contribute to a vibrant learning environment. The last thing I'm going to do is put another brick in the wall between them and their own learning experience by handing out a bunch of classroom rules and expectations. I want them to walk away knowing that our student is going to learn and grow in Room 216. I can't communicate that with a handout or permission slip. 

I want them to know that the learning might look a little different than when they went to school. It will not be in a straight line and might look a little messy. Their child's proof of learning won't be demonstrated by properly filling in a standardized bubble sheet. Their child will have choices. Their child's work will be published, displayed and shared. They won't have homework.

I want them to trust in their student and in me. I try and get them to help me to lay the foundation for the year and not build higher walls. We're going to do great things and I want them along for the ride.

 
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above photo by Eric Johnson

Don't Become a Teacher

                                                                                                

(photo by Eric Johnson)

I recently had the privilege of sitting down and talking with a Dean of Education, a Director of Graduate Education, and an Indiana Principal of the Year at a small reception hosted by my Graduate Degree Alma Mater. The purpose of the reception was to give Graduate alumni students a chance to re-connect, share ideas, and talk about their careers since receiving their Masters Degree. (MAT, M.Ed.)

Whether it was the timing or the weather that evening, the event was unfortunately not well attended. The event was not a total loss however, as it provided an opportunity for me to talk one on one with people who have very real interest in the direction of education. All three of these professionals were concerned about the flow of talent coming in to the profession and the increasing scarcity of top tier professionals within the field.

The Dean and the Director both talked at length about how this current academic year was the lowest enrollment in many years. The Dean had the perspective that the situation was a temporary lull and that they were prepared for it to extend up to 5 years. He felt that they would just have to find a way to "ride it out" and be prepared for the upswing in both undergraduate and graduate enrollments as educator retirements increase over the next ten years.

Our Indiana State legislature, following a growing trend, passed legislation that devalues an advanced education degree.  The change in the law does not require public districts to automatically to pay teachers a "Masters bump".  The Director of Graduate of Education stunningly stated that with the change "why, other than intrinsic reasons or if you were already close to getting 'it', why would anyone get a M.Ed or MAT?" I sat there, as he went on, and internally just went "wow!"

There certainly was some intrinsic motivation as I pursued my Masters of Arts in Teaching. At the base of the effort though, was that by obtaining an advanced degree was the opportunity to learn how to get better at my job. I wanted to get better at teaching. The change in the law however, was the factor that definitely made me accelerate the pace last summer. I took 9 graduate credits in 62 days, to get 'grandfathered' into a higher salary band before our district's contract ended at the end of this school year. My wife shared the driving on our 4000+ mile road trip out west last summer, while I banged out papers in the passenger seat or early in the mornings, to email to my professors who graciously allowed me to honor a 10 day family vacation commitment in the middle of the semester. 

The principal related a story about how he couldn't find a qualified high school Physics teacher. He struggled to find someone who was an expert in the challenging content (for me at least) and held the license necessary for the job. He ended up placing a science generalist in the position with the understanding that he would need to have patience as this teacher built his expertise over time.

In talking further about the decreasing numbers of enrollment and talent pools, all three agreed that current teachers are often the worst marketers for the profession. There were many stories where a perspective education student was advised "Don't become a teacher."

That advice might be coming from an increasing personal frustration from their jobs. The the seemingly ever growing restrictions on creative teaching and the corollary 'accountability' placed on those outside of education. There are a lot of reasons why someone shouldn't become a teacher. Teaching is hard. Teaching well, harder. I don't think one should become a teacher, unless a candidate has considered a few things.

Teachers are largely unappreciated. Teaching is the one job that everyone thinks they could do. They can't. Outside of the parents of the children in your classroom or your peers, most people don't hold what teachers do with a high level of regard. If you're looking for external validation and praise, don't become a teacher.

A teaching candidate should have a good understanding of the non-teaching elements of being a teacher. Superior organization skills are major requirement of the job. Committees, team meetings, multiple deadlines from multiple inputs, grades, assessment windows, intervention conferences, and on and on. There are a lot of non instructional tasks that demand your time. If you aren't ready to give time and attention to all of the tasks that have little to do with instruction, don't become a teacher.

Teaching is a grind. It takes a focused, year round, purposeful effort. I don't know of a teacher who has ever said that they have ever reached the end of their development. Teachers are a reflective bunch and are always looking back at what they could have done better. The great ones find a way to examine their past and apply meaningful adjustments to their future instruction and student relationships. The aforementioned Director always liked to tell the story of a newly enrolled administration student, after completing his first year of teaching in a tough school, said "that he had seen it all." The Director's reply was "oh really, have you ever chased a naked man through the halls of your school?" While there's no course that teaches the fineries of that situation, if you don't want to be involved in a state of perpetual professional development, don't wish to get better, and possess an inflated sense of self, don't become a teacher. The field doesn't need anymore know-it-alls. We need collaborators and change agents. We already have too many politicians and funderpundits trying to force their agendas on those in the field and who know a better way, but just have smaller wallets.

If you think teaching is a great way to pad your résumé as the required community service requirement in your life's career plan, you might want to look elsewhere for your bullet point. Most teachers will tell you that they didn't feel mostly effective until they had taught for five or six years. A two year stint isn't enough to reach a level of competency that our kids need. The profession needs people who can commit their talents long term. If you think you'll have this "teaching thing down" in just a couple of years or you want to quickly move on to 'bigger and better' things, don't become a teacher.

But ...

If you want to become a teacher,

to help children reach their potential,

share your ideas freely with peers,

embed yourself in the community where your kids live,

take a long view towards getting better in your field,

and put in long hours with little recognition except maybe a crayon drawn picture at the end of the school year that says you were their favorite teacher,

then sign up, because our kids need you and I want you in my building.

                                                                                      

 
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